Matama a Aguri
1 Matama a Aguri nkololo wa Jake we Masa.
Nthu unoti kuna Itiyeli, kuna Itiyeli ne kuna Ukali:
2 Malebeswa wose ndi tjilengwesa kuti ndibe nthu.
Andina hwisiso ye nthu.
3 Andizozwidiya butjenjedu,
naiko kuziba ngekwa iye Wakayengemala.
4 Ndiyani wakatathila kudzimu kabuya ka delukila pasi?
Ndiani wakafumbatila phepo mu mbaka dzidze?
Ndiyani wakapetela vula nge tjiambalo?
Ndiyani wakasika mbizho dzose dze shango?
Zina lile ndiani, ne zina le nkololo uwe ndiani?
Nge malebeswa unoziba!
5 Dama limwe ne limwe le Ndzimu lakanatshiwa;
ndiwo tjivikiso kuna banotizhila kuwuli.
6 Usitongo paphidza matama awo,
ungadwa ukakutjemela, udwa uwangwa uli nnyepi.
7 Zwithu zwibili zwandinokumbila kumuli,
musindilambile izo ndisathu afa,
8 Dusilani kule nami zwisiyizo ne manyephwa,
musindipe bushayi kene fumwa,
mundigutshe ne zojiwa zwandinosheta,
9 ndingadwa ndi guta, ndibe ndimuzwilandula,
nditi, “Yahwe ndiyani?”
Kene ndidwa ndibe nshayi ndibe ndikwiba,
ndibe nditjinya zina le Ndzimu wangu.
10 Usitongo nyeya nlanda kuna tetshi uwe,
asidwe ekulonga bhiso, ubouwang'wa uli nlandu.
11 Kuna ibabo banolonga botate babo bhiso,
basingakombolele bomme babo.
12 Kuna ibabo babuya mu mesho abo,
koga basakangudziwa shambgwa yabo.
13 Kuna ibabo be mesho anozwikudza,
anolingila pezhugwi!
14 Kuna ibabo bana meno anopitsha
be meno e mipanga,
kuponda bashayi mu shango,
bashayi kubadusa mu bathu.
15 Munyopi tjina bakololokadzi babili;
“Mundipe, mundipe,” banolila.
Kuna zwithu zwitatu zwisingafe zwa gutshika,
zwinna azwitotongoti, “Kwa lizana”:
16 ikumbu, mbeleko isingazwale,
shango inogala ina nyota ye vula,
ne moto usingatongoti, “Kwa lizana.”
17 Zhisho linodadila tate,
linolingila kuhwa mme balo pasi
lowokopogwa nge makungubo e nkuku
likanojiwa nge magola.
18 Zwithu zwitatu zwinonditjenamisa,
zwinna anditozwihwisisa,
19 zila ye dzu mu makole,
zila ye nyoka mu shongwe,
zila ye ikepe mu makungwa,
ne zila ye nlume ne nsikana.
20 Ndiyo zila ye phombgwekadzi,
unoja, ebe bukusha nlomo,
ebuya eti, “Hakuna tja ndatjinya.”
21 Zwithu zwitatu zwinozunguza shango,
zwinna zwaisingatubule kumilana nazo,
22 nlanda ha ebe mambo,
ne tjilengwe ha tjakaguta zojiwa,
23 nkadzi usingadiwe ha ewana nlume,
ne nlandakadzi ha etolela tetshikadzi uwe nlume.
24 Zwithu zwinna mu shango zwitukununu,
koga zwakatjenjela kwazo,
25 ntjenje ludzi gusakasima,
ngono unozwikubunganyila zojiwa mu zhizha,
26 mbila ludzi gusakasima,
ngono dzothama mizi yadzo mu shongwe,
27 phashu adzina mambo,
ngono dzoyenda dzili nlunda,
28 tjibululu ungatjibhata ne luboko,
koga tjogala mu ng'umba dza bomambo.
29 Zwithu zwitatu zwinotshamba tjimambo,
zwinna zotshamba sa bomambo,
30 shumba, iyo yakasima kupinda zwibandana zose,
akuna tjainotja,
31 gukurume linotanyaila, phoko ye mbudzi,
na mambo unotanyayila mbeli kwe bathu babe.
32 Ha wakabe uli tjilengwe, uzwikudza,
kene wakabe uluka bubi,
bhata nlomo uwo.
33 Ngoti nkaka ha unonubugwa unodusa mafuta,
kutshamba tjimilo kodusa malopa,
ne kushoka kugwadzamoyo ko zhisa kukwebakwebana.
The Sayings of Agur
1 These are the sayings
and the message
of Agur son of Jakeh.
Someone cries out to God,
“I am completely worn out!
How can I last?
2 I am far too stupid
to be considered human.
3 I never was wise,
and I don't understand
what God is like.”
4 Has anyone gone up to heaven
and come back down?
Has anyone grabbed hold
of the wind?
Has anyone wrapped up the sea
or marked out boundaries
for the earth?
If you know of any
who have done such things,
then tell me their names
and their children's names.
5 Everything God says is true—
and it's a shield for all
who come to him for safety.
6 Don't change what God has said!
He will correct you and show
that you are a liar.
7 There are two things, Lord,
I want you to do for me
before I die:
8 Make me absolutely honest
and don't let me be too poor
or too rich.
Give me just what I need.
9 If I have too much to eat,
I might forget about you;
if I don't have enough,
I might steal
and disgrace your name.
10 Don't tell a slave owner
something bad about one
of the slaves.
That slave will curse you,
and you will be in trouble.
11 Some people curse their father
and even their mother;
12 others think they are perfect,
but they are stained by sin.
13 Some people are stuck-up
and act like snobs;
14 others are so greedy
that they gobble up
the poor and homeless.
15 Greed has twins,
each named “Give me!”
There are three or four things
that are never satisfied:
16 The world of the dead
and a childless wife,
the thirsty earth
and a flaming fire.
17 Don't make fun of your father
or disobey your mother—
crows will peck out your eyes,
and buzzards will eat
the rest of you.
18 There are three or four things
I cannot understand:
19 How eagles fly so high
or snakes crawl on rocks,
how ships sail the ocean
or people fall in love.
20 An unfaithful wife says,
“Sleeping with another man
is as natural as eating.”
21 There are three or four things
that make the earth tremble
and are unbearable:
22 A slave who becomes king,
a fool who eats too much,
23 a hateful woman
who finds a husband,
and a slave who takes the place
of the woman who owns her.
24 On this earth four things
are small but very wise:
25 Ants, who seem to be feeble,
but store up food
all summer long;
26 badgers, who seem to be weak,
but live among the rocks;
27 locusts, who have no king,
but march like an army;
28 lizards, which can be caught
in your hand,
but sneak into palaces.
29 Three or four creatures
really strut around:
30 Those fearless lions
who rule the jungle,
31 those proud roosters,
those mountain goats,
and those rulers
who have no enemies.
32 If you are foolishly bragging
or planning something evil,
then stop it now!
33 If you churn milk
you get butter;
if you pound on your nose,
you get blood—
and if you stay angry,
you get in trouble.